Funny brokers

I admit that this is one I use more than I probably should. I generally use it as, "I can meet you in the middle..." It's just kind of a crutch phrase for me, especially since most negotiations are like... thirty seconds to a minute. It kinda gets the point across.

 

I don’t mind meeting in the middle, the phrase or the act. Broker is going to always quote a bit low and carrier will quote high and it’s more or less expected in my view.

 

I mean, pretty much. That's kinda where I fall on it in general. I very seldom have someone just outright take the rate, though that does happen from time to time.

 

Yeah, a lot of folks have difficulty wrapping their heads around clock-based rates. Short hops like this, I figure as either a half-day or a full day, depending on distance, difficulty, and speed of loading, and rate accordingly.

 

There's really no half day rate. 2/3's is about the lowest I will go, and I usually regret it. Half or less? No thanks, I'll bounce. It's just not worth the risk exposure to chase pennies.

 

Fair enough, man. That's mostly for my local guys working in town runs, anyway, where it's like... four hours or less of work.

 

I'm open deck so it's not quite the same as vans doing short moves since we're often limited to short windowed loading/unloading times. Not sure what you usually do? Different ballgames. Short stuff, I'll quote more like a plumber: $100/hr @ my best estimate of actual hours it will take from wherever I start until I'll be empty + a little to bounce home or wherever I'm headed, depending on circumstances.

 

I do a half or 3/4 day pretty often for one reason. Rest. Also to catch up on everything else. Paperwork, truck/tire fix, groceries, etc. I'll pretty often jump on a 200 miler for 6-700 for this reason and also take my time that day to line up a good one for the next day.

 

Mostly open deck. I run maybe ten dry vans a year. With my localized freight, it's usually $500 for the in town, $7-8 for 100ish mile radius, and then $9-1000 for a daily, depending on the carrier. Usually pay the guys I've worked with for years a little better.